Bombers 45

St. Catharines residents have a definite date tomorrow evening at the C. N. R. station. The sports fraternity will dominate the scene, since its farewell and best wishes to Pres. Tom Teather, coach George Cleverley and the blue-clad champion Athletics, who trek off to Vancouver. Train time is 7:28 and the western train leaves Union Station in Toronto at 11 p.m. However, the boys will not be sorted out, until they start traveling toward Capreol and northern Ontario.

There will be a great scrimmaging between two sleepers, since the party's split up in two sections of five berths each., upper and lower. It also should work out as the best for other travelers, as only imagination can picture the doings likely to take place in one pullman coach with twenty happy-go-lucky lacrossists aboard.

For the seasoned campaigners of the Mann Cuppers, it will be no novelty, but the rookies will have plenty to view and this corner knows of nothing better, in the way of education value on this Canada of ours, than a trip to the Pacific coast. It is (and should be) a veritable revelation to the youngsters, who get their first look at the miles of dogwood brush, northern Ontario forests, Manitoba black soil, the rolling prairies of Saskatchewan and the glorious panoramic scenery of British Columbia.

Elsewhere will be seen the list of players the present trophy holders will take out west. In the five days on the train, Messrs. Teather and Cleverley will duly impress on all hands that civic prestige hangs on their ability and there been no Garden City challenger go west yet but gave a magnificent account of itself. St. Catharines has a definite reputation to uphold, as gentlemen, one much prized here and the city and parent box solons have every confidence that the 1945 edition will maintain that to the last degree.

Athletics know that every one in this city and district is loyally behind them, as well as Ontario at large and that goes for all Eastern Canada, in defense of their cup laurels. Keep that in mind double blues, keep your chins up and come out ready to fight in every game.

St. Catharines Athletics are going to take no less than twenty-two (22) players west in defense of their Mann Cup honors, when they leave C. N. R. station here tomorrow night. A joint conclave of players and executive made that momentous decision last night and felt, in all justice to youngsters who had played sufficient regular games of the schedule and playoffs, that the rookies absolutely deserved the trip. At that, they may need them, for "cricks and cracks" can develop in five days and nights of train travel and it may be good insurance to have some worthy Garden City boys to fall back on, which is known as the clutches. The parent boxla solons, though down in the dumps a bit over the fact that their public appeal for further cash to finance the whole available team ($1,000.00 was asked and less than $100 subscribed), feel that the loyal lacrosse backers of this city and district will respond to a further and more individual appeal. They're praying so anyways.

Pres. Tom Teather is going west. He will replace Secy. Treas. Dalt Disher who cannot get away from his health duties. Coach George Cleverley and Trainer Billy Demars have to go and the personnel then includes every player with a specified season showing, minus those who cannot get away. So, from goal out, it will be Bill Whittaker, Frank Madsen, Tom Madsen, Cars Myers, Sid Wright, Billy Mackie, Jerry Fitzgerald, Vern Whitely, Doug Cove, George Urquhart, Jimmy McMahon, Norm MacDonald, Billy Nelson, Gord Moore, Pat Smith, Tommy Bye, Jack Gatecliff, Roy Morton, George Scott, Stuart Scott, Tony Capula, Billy Frick.

Of the remainder, Bobby Thorpe and Jack Kusmaski are now in hockey, Ken Croft yet in the army, Doug Garriock unable to leave his work and Bucko Lachanse remains home as coach of the city juvenile O. L. A. team in the coming playoffs. As stated before, Athletics will leave the C. N. R. station at 7:28 tomorrow night and if the weather is at all favorable, nothing would be a bigger morale boost than to have a crowd of 1,000 give them a rousing send off in their defense of the battered Mann Cup.

VANCOUVER, Oct 5 (CP) - St. Catharines Athletics, train-weary but oozing confidence, arrived here Thursday for their series against the Vancouver Burrards, with the Canadian senior lacrosse title at stake.

Coach George Cleverley, heading the St. Catharines party of 28 , predicted the Eastern champions will retain their Dominion crown they won last year. The three-of-five series opens tonight.

"We aren't underestimating these Burrards," said Cleverley, "because we still remember some pretty capable guys who came East in 1940. But we've got a big, fast and tough outfit and I think we'll get by without much trouble."

The players who had exercised at stations along the way were keen for a workout scheduled at the Forum.

The Mann Cup finals will be "phantom" broadcast from Vancouver, as stated in yesterday's issue, over station CKTB of this city, with Rex Stimers and Tommy Garriock doing the play-by-play and commentary respectively. The broadcast is made possible through the sponsorship of Thompson Products Ltd. of this city, and will be expected to start at 12:30 o'clock. The Canadian Press at Vancouver is furnishing the data to station CKTB over the station teletype. Lacrosse fans will be welcomed at the studio, if they so desire.

BOMBERS SWEEP ATHLETICS ASIDE IN THREE STRAIGHT TILTS TO REGAIN MANN CUP FOR WEST

VANCOUVER - Johnny Dale's Vancouver Burrards were satisfied today - they brought the Mann Cup back to Vancouver after an eight-year absence and avenged a trouncing absorbed in 1940.

The fleet, smooth-passing Burrards took the Canadian senior men's box lacrosse championship by overwhelming St. Catharines Athletics 14 - 5 here last night before more than 6,000 fans.

Vancouver took the three-of-five series with three straight victories: 12 - 6, 18 - 7 and 14 - 5, to wipe out all the memories of a one-sided loss to St. Catharines in the 1940 finals. Athletics won that one three games to one.

Burrards, first Vancouver team to win the title since Richmond were champions in 1937, were markedly superior to St. Catharines in all departments. They were faster, smoother passers, better checkers and in addition they were hungry for the title.

Athletics, defending champions, attempted last night to make the fleet Vancouver squad play a heavy-checking game.

There were three fist fights in the second half but the Burrards, apparently under orders to stay on the floor, offered only token resistance and persisted in playing a wide-open passing game.

Only in the second quarter did the Athletics put on a concerted drive and then the Vancouver team built up a close-checking defence and matched all three goals counted by St. Catharines.

Vancouver went ahead 3 - 0 in the first quarter and weathered the Athletics' rally for a 6 - 3 margin at half time. Burrards increased their margin to 9 - 3 in the third and outscored the eastern champions 5 - 2 in the final 15 minutes.

Frank Lee, high-geared Vancouver forward, led his team to victory with four goals and two assists and was presented with the Mike Kelly Memorial Trophy as the outstanding player in the series. Lee was high point-getter of the three games with six goals and five assists.

Walt Lee, no relation, also made a large contribution to the Burrard victory. Lee, a veteran netminder, held Athletics scoreless in the first and third quarters.

In the St. Catharines net Bill Whittaker was outstanding again, making 27 stops. Whittaker's sensational play saved Athletics from an even more lopsided trouncing.

Pat Theale, large Vancouver defenceman, got three goals and two assists. Other Vancouver scorers last night were Roy (Fritz) Cavallin with two and Bill Harris, Harry Buchanan, John McDonald, John Cavallin and Ernie Smith with one each.

George Urquhart rapid centre for Athletics, was the most effective man for St. Catharines getting two goals and sparking the attack most of the time he was on the floor. Bill Nelson, Stu Scott and Roy (Punk) Morton fired the other St. Catharines goals.

St. Catharines: Goal, Whittaker; defence, F. Madsen, T. Madsen; rover, McMahon; centre, Urquhart; forwards, Smith, Mackie; subs, Myers, Wright, Cove, Nelson, McDonald, S. Scott, Morton, Frick.

Vancouver: Goal, W. Lee; defence, Theale, Morphett; rover, R. Cavallin; centre, Buchanan; forwards, F. Lee, J. Cavallin; subs, McDonald, Whittaker, Gray, E. Smith, Harris, Matheson, McLeod, Campbell.

	Goal	Assist	Assist	Time
Van.	F. Lee	-	-	1:25
Van.	F. Lee	Cavallin	-	9:40
Van	Theale	F. Lee	-	13:40

	Goal	Assist	Assist	Time
Van.	F. Lee	Theale	-	1:35
St. C.	Nelson	-	-	4:40
St. C.	S. Scott	-	-	8:45
St. C.	Urquhart	-	-	9:27
Van.	R. Cavallin	F. Lee	Theale	11:00
Van.	Harris	-	-	11:05

	Goal	Assist	Assist	Time
Van.	Theale	-	-	3:35
Van.	F. Lee	-	-	5:50
Van.	McDonald	Matheson	-	10:53

	Goal	Assist	Assist	Time
Van.	J. Cavallin	-	-	2:09
Van.	R. Cavallin	-	-	3:15
St. C.	Urquhart	Myers	-	4:04
Van.	E. Smith	-	-	9:34
St. C.	Morton	Cove	-	10:12
Van.	Theale	Matheson	-	13:00
Van.	Buchanan	Matheson	-	14:30

Penalties - McLeod (major), Scott (major), F. Madsen, Mackie, Nelson (major), Morphett (major).

St. Catharines and Chicago can sympathize with each other today, in dual losses of world series, but chances are the Windy City does not even know there's such a game as lacrosse. However, the Garden City does and while the Cubs-Tigers can be called zany, screwy, etc., there's nothing to atone for the trio of inglorious lickings Athletics absorbed out west. One can pretty near stick those marks in the record book for Mann Cups.

It was no respite for Saints, but sheer revenge by Bombers. Those triple trouncings just about set a record for a quick kill-off and so decisively at that. Fans here would scoff at pre-series totals of 6 - 7 - 5 goals for A's in three games, but there you have it, only 18 or an average of six a game. Burrards did not run wild, but their nice mark of 12 - 18 - 14 made 44 for the west and the holder guess ticket of "East 18 West 44" will come in for some nice lettuce. Readers here will have to wait a while, until the coast dailies are flown in.

What prompted the three fist fights will be known later, but the press dispatch says Saints tried to make it a heavy-checking game and were frustrated when Bombers refused to be coaxed into scraps and offered only "token" resistance in return. We take it they gave a punch when taking one, but let it go at that without incurring match penalties and weakening their floor squad. This series will go down in memory books as one won on sheer speed, but we do recall others that went with weight and how to throw it around with body checks.

The skeptics will tell you here today that they "told you so" and the die was cast when Saints elected to take all those aging vets along and string them into action. Who knows better than Tom Teather and George Cleverley, out there on the job, who were the likeliest players to stand the gaff. If it was experience needed, then the vets. If speed and youth, it was the eastern youngsters on demand. Let's not be too free to condemn before all the facts are known. Athletics gave the best they had. If they did not match up with Bombers, then that was a costly experience, as the Mann Mug goes back to Vancouver for the first time since 1937.

Sixty years ago this summer, more than 1,000 people gathered at the train station in St. Catharines to give a rousing sendoff to the St. Catharines Athletics.

"The huge parking spaces and every adjacent street were jam-packed with motors and buses, and the throng on the station platform was so heavy it was practically impossible to push one's way through the lacrosse well-wishers," read a newspaper account of the bon voyage party.

The defending Mann Cup champions were on their way to Vancouver to battle the Vancouver Burrard Bombers, who were seeking revenge for a shellacking handed to them by the A's in the 1940 final.

The 1945 version of the A's was made up of three distinct groups: veteran players who had been on winning Mann Cup teams in 1938, 1940, 1941 and 1944; a group of players in their 20s who were recently returned from the Second World War and a group of teenagers, including 16-year-old Jerry Fitzgerald and 18-year-old Whitey Frick.

"The young guys had sticks in their hands 10 hours a day and we idolized those veterans," Frick said.

He recalled many a night waiting in a car after a road game for the older players to quench their thirst in bars.

Twenty-two players, team president Tom Teather, coach George Cleverley, trainer Bill Demars and three fans boarded the train for a four-night and three-day adventure.

The train made several stops, but one in Jasper, Alta., made the biggest impression on Frick.

"When we stopped in Jasper, the veteran players got off the train and ran towards a certain building. After about 10 minutes, they all came back carrying large brown paper bags, of which us younger guys thought it could be food.

When the train arrived in Vancouver, the eight teenagers on the team decided to sleep in one room to cut down on expenses. Each player was given $12 for expenses.

The Bombers recorded an easy 12-6 triumph in the first game of the series before 6,000 fans in Vancouver.

"George Cleverley's Athletics looked ponderous beside the fleet Bombers. Although the Garden City crew out-weighed the Bombers, the weight appeared to be in the wrong places," read a Canadian Press account of the game.

One wonders if drug testing might have saved the A's given the following statement in the CP story:

"(Vancouver) coach Johnny Dale has been giving his team vitamin tablets and, last night, it looked, as if the speedballs may have been beneficial."

Doug Cove, who the newspaper report described as the man with the slow legs and fast arms, led St. Catharines with two goals, while singles were netted by George Urquhart, Bill Nelson, Frank Madsen and Roy (Pung) Morton.

The A's didn't fare much better the next night before 4,000 fans in New Westminster, dropping an 18-7 decision. Nelson scored twice for St. Catharines and singles went to Pat Smith, Bill Mackie, Jim McMahon, Cove and Tom Madsen.

Two nights later, Vancouver completed the sweep with a 14-5 triumph before more than 6,000 fans in Vancouver.

"There were three fist fights in the second half, but the Bombers, apparently under orders to stay on the floor, offered only token resistance and persisted in playing a wide-open passing game," a newspaper account read.

"I'm an ex-referee, but when you go out west, you're two goals down before the game even starts," he said.

After the final game, there was an altercation in the referees' dressing room which resulted in the Canadian Lacrosse Association leveling suspensions against Vancouver ref Jimmy Gunn and St. Catharines goalie Bill Whitaker.

Gunn alleged Whitaker and several other St. Catharines players forced their way into the dressing room and, after a brief exchange of words, Whitaker punched Gunn.

Upon his return from Vancouver, president Teather told The Standard it was Gunn who threw the first punch, "a smacking punch full on the Whitaker face."

"Once that landed, however, the battle could be said to be a bit one-sided," he said.

Prior to their departure from Vancouver, the A's were feted to a goodwill luncheon by Vancouver city council. The event quickly soured and a number of the A's walked out after the following remarks made by Vancouver alderman Charles Jones:

"I would like to congratulate the Bombers upon their most sportsmanlike victory and I commiserate with St. Catharines upon the most unsportsmanlike manner in which they lost."

The 1945 A's, who were recognized Friday night at the annual St. Catharines Old Boys Lacrosse Association dinner, would have 11 of its members inducted into the Canadian and Ontario lacrosse halls of fame. Four of the team's 10 surviving members were scheduled to attend the dinner.

Other members of the team were Bucko Lachanse, Tony Capula, Sid Wright, Tom Bye, George Scott, Norm McDonald, Gord Moore, Marty Olson, Vern Whitely, John Kuzmaski, Carson Myers, Stu Scott and Jack Gatecliff.